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Jonas
The antagonist of the novel, Trademaster isn’t human. Rather, he’s “pure evil” in a human form. He takes the form of a tall, sallow man who wears a sharp black suit, silk gloves, and a cloak. He offers people trades, but people must magically trade their “true selves” to him. This leads to widespread chaos wherever he goes, as he can then make people mean or dishonest, or he can take away things like their health or energy. He’s framed as a corrupting force, and as such, the village banished him seven years before the novel’s third part takes place. Since he took Claire’s youth in exchange for reuniting her with Gabe, though, he returns to the village in time to watch her die. However, by empathizing with Trademaster and by drawing on the support of his friends, Gabe is able to vanquish Trademaster forever and bury the remains.
Trademaster Quotes in Son
The Son quotes below are all either spoken by Trademaster or refer to Trademaster. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Book 2, Chapter 16 Quotes
“I have a son,” she said. “I want to find my son.”
“A son! How sweet. Maternal love is such a delicious trait. So you don’t want riches, or romance, but simply... your son?” The way he said the word, hissing it, sneering it, made her feel sick.
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Book 3, Chapter 4 Quotes
Shaken by the death of a boy they had loved, each person had found ways to be more worthy of the sacrifice he had made. They had become kinder, more careful, more attentive to one another. They had worked hard to eradicate customs that had begun to corrupt their society, banning even seemingly benign diversions such as a gaming machine, a simple gambling device that spit out candy to its winners.
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Book 3, Chapter 7 Quotes
All that work. The weeks and weeks of planning, of building, of hoping. And all he could say now was that the paddle worked well. Gabe felt it all slipping away: his dream of returning, of finding his mother, of becoming part of something he had yearned for all his life.
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Book 3, Chapter 10 Quotes
“Evil can do anything, Gabe,” Mentor said, “for a price.”
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Book 3, Chapter 11 Quotes
It was dark when Gabe stood at the water’s edge, alone. He had begged Jonas to come with him. But Jonas had said no.
“Years ago, Gabe, when I took you and ran away, there was a man I loved and left behind. I wanted him to come with me but he said no.
“He was right to refuse. It was my journey and I had to do it without help. I had to find my own strengths, face my own fears. And now you must.”
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He repeated them, like a chant. He loosened the paddle from there it was wedged. With his fingers he could feel the carved names in the smooth wet wood: Tarik. Simon. Nathaniel. Stefan. Jonas. Though she had not carved her name, he added Kira in his mind. Then little Matthew, and Annabelle. Finally he said his mother’s name—Claire—aloud, adding it to the list of those who cared about him. He shouted it—“Claire!”—into the night, begging her to live. Holding tightly to the paddle, he began to kick his way easily across the gently flowing water in the moonlight.
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Book 3, Chapter 12 Quotes
Frantically he tried again to remember what Jonas had told him. Use your gift. That was it. Use your gift!
He was very frightened, but looking directly at Trademaster, he concentrated and willed himself to veer.
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Get the entire Son LitChart as a printable PDF.
Trademaster Character Timeline in Son
The timeline below shows where the character Trademaster appears in Son. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 2, Chapter 16
...Einar said will come. Claire must say yes to the man (later revealed to be Trademaster), who comes to offer help to those who need it. If she says no, she’ll...
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...spends the night curled up asleep at the edge of the cliff. She wakes to Trademaster touching her arm. He isn’t what Claire expected: he’s thin, sallow, and dressed in an...
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Trademaster asks Claire for her son’s name. She isn’t sure, but she says it might be...
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Book 3, Chapter 4
...to be kinder and more open. Jonas had, in the wake of Matty’s death, banished Trademaster, an evil man who seemed to corrupt the village.
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Book 3, Chapter 5
...if they knew? Deciding not to burden him, Claire kept quiet and realized how cruel Trademaster’s deal had been. She’s spent the last few years watching Gabe grow up. Now, she...
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...is nearby, supervising her toddlers. Claire realizes that had she not made the deal with Trademaster, she’d be like these young women. She might be back with Einar. But then she...
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...a young woman who can mother Gabe. She doesn’t regret her trade, but she knows Trademaster played a “hideous joke” on them both. As night falls and the music begins, Claire...
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Book 3, Chapter 6
...feels “invigorat[ing]” to tell someone her story. Finally, she describes her climb—and her deal with Trademaster. Jonas puts his head in his hands and explains that they banished Trademaster long ago,...
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Book 3, Chapter 8
...and curious about it. Jonas explains that Trade Mart seemed innocuous, but it was scary. Trademaster would appear in the village and invite people to “make trades.” So, for instance, Gabe...
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...gift. Now, Jonas says, he’s going to use his gift one more time to locate Trademaster. Then, Gabe will destroy him. Gabe argues that Trademaster doesn’t have anything to do with...
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Book 3, Chapter 9
...direction of Claire’s house. As he jogs, he can’t fathom that he has to kill Trademaster, whoever that is. He’s not bothering anyone here right now, so it’d be better to...
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...Jonas could think this is more important than what he and Gabe were discussing about Trademaster. Jonas shushes Gabe and leans forward when Claire’s lips move. She tells Jonas to “Tell...
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Book 3, Chapter 10
...of that, but he doesn’t believe this particular old woman is his mother or that Trademaster can do what Jonas says he can.
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...Mentor, and the man winces when Jonas explains that he’s trying to convince Gabe that Trademaster’s powers exist. Grudgingly, Mentor tells Gabe about the trade he made. He says he was...
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...the evil, everyone else survived and they were able to heal the corruption. They banished Trademaster. When Mentor realizes Trademaster is back and that Gabe is going to go fight him...
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Book 3, Chapter 11
...her pulse. She’s still alive, so Jonas says he’s going to “look beyond” to find Trademaster. Gabe sits with Claire while Jonas groans, gasps, and shimmers. A few minutes later, Jonas...
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...side. The river suddenly seems less welcoming than ever. He thinks of Jonas saying that Trademaster is likely back because he gains satisfaction from seeing the trauma he causes play out....
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Book 3, Chapter 12
...and afraid: he expected to have some time to prepare for this. His eyes glittering, Trademaster says it’s so lovely to have someone seek him out for once. As Gabe holds...
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...at Claire’s cottage. Earlier, when Jonas looked beyond, he saw (but didn’t tell Gabe) that Trademaster was waiting for Gabe. But Gabe has always been tenacious, and it’s always been clear...
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Back on the riverbank, Gabe touches the names carved into his paddle and feels calmer. Trademaster, though, angrily pulls a knife out of his cloak and tosses it to Gabe. Gabe...
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...Nodding off, Jonas doesn’t see Claire’s body continue to grow younger. Back on the riverbank, Trademaster offers Gabe a boat. Gabe isn’t interested, even when Trademaster offers to throw in sun...
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Book 3, Chapter 13
Everything goes silent as Gabe veers into Trademaster. He senses pain, hatred, and rage, and these emotions are “strong enough to destroy one...
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Gabe finds hunger, even starvation, in Trademaster. Remembering that Trademaster is “nourish[ed]” by seeing how his trades hurt people, Gabe realizes that...
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